HORRI-BULL!
Bombers' lineup fails to flex muscles, as Robertson, Kahnle go up in Smoak
BLUE JAYS 7 YANKEES 4
TORONTO — Two areas of Yankees strength are the reasons for the limp that carries them into Monday’s home opener.
Throughout spring training, the Florida air was filled with chirping about how deep the Yankees’ bullpen was and how much muscle the middle of the lineup was going to flex.
After Sunday’s heartbreaking 7-4 loss to the Blue Jays in front of 29,091 at Rogers Centre on Justin Smoak’s grand slam in the eighth off David Robertson, the bullpen is taking on water and Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez are in early-season hitting funks.
First it was reliever Tommy Kahnle giving up a two-run homer to Smoak in the seventh that cut the Yankees’ lead to 4-3. Then it was Robertson, on orders from the bench, who walked Josh Donaldson intentionally to load the bases in the eighth for Smoak and then watched a 3-2 fastball disappear over the center-field fence for a grand slam.
Judge and Sanchez were a combined 1-for-20 in the past three games and adding to the pronounced limp, the Yankees are without first baseman Greg Bird and center fielder Aaron Hicks who are on the disabled list.
After winning the first two games against the Blue Jays, the Yankees face the Rays on Monday at Yankee Stadium with a 2-2 record.
Because the numbers and the matchup painted a better picture of having Robertson walk Donaldson (3-for-8; two homers against him) and face Smoak (0-for-5; four strikeouts), Aaron Boone was grilled about his decision because Donaldson’s swings during the fourgame series weren’t good.
“It’s just not on a whim. That’s the matchup,’’ Boone said of his decision that came within a skinny foul tip of working until the ball vanished over the fence.
“It can be but less than some may think,’’ Boone said when asked if a batters’ swings can lead a manager away from the numbers and matchup. “I don’t get caught up in an atbat or two. [Robertson’s] breaking ball is a good matchup with Smoak.’’
Having thrown Smoak three straight breaking balls (Smoak fouled off the f inal two) Robertson opted for the fatal fastball.
“I threw him some really good pitches. I thought I could get a fastball by him,’’ said Robertson, who started the troublesome inning by giving up a leadoff single to Russell Martin and then a one-out double to Aledmys Diaz. Robertson retired Devon Travis on a comebacker to the mound for the second out in front of the intentional walk to Donaldson, who was 2-for-12 with six strikeouts in the series.
“I was one pitch away and didn’t get it done. He found a way to get a piece of it,’’ Robertson said. “I gave him the best ones I had. I threw everything at him. He just won today. I didn’t get it done. I blew it.’’
Robertson is honest and correct, but the lineup failed to build on a 4-1 cushion Brandon Drury’s two-run homer off Marcus Stroman provided in the third inning. Across the final six frames the Yankees got one runner into scoring position and that was via two eighth-inning walks, but Didi Gregorius fouled out against John Axford. The two hits after the fourth were singles by Drury in the sixth and Judge in the
ninth. Sonny Gray also had blood on his hands for not pitching longer than the four-plus frames he offered. That forced Boone to call for Chad Green in the fifth which was an inning earlier than he probably wanted. Four games in is no time to panic and Boone certainly didn’t. In fact, he said he believes all that Florida chatter about him having an embarrassment of riches in the bullpen will eventually be correct. “I am comfortable over time it will be not just strength but an overwhelming strength,’’ Boone said of his pen. Sunday it was a weakness that couldn’t be overcome and sent the Yankees home with a limp impossible to miss.